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Sunday, April 08, 2012

Vegan Asparagus Salad for Spring with Tomatoes, Hearts of Palm, and Chives

A lovely salad for spring with asparagus, tomatoes, hearts of palm, and chives.

I love to pull things out of the fridge or pantry and experiment to see what I can come up with, and this salad combination started with the Hearts of Palm I was so excited to find back in stock at Costco. I had fresh asparagus in the fridge and chives growing in the garden, both of which seemed like they would be good with hearts of palm, and then I added a few of the small grape tomatoes I start buying in the spring when I'm craving the flavor of tomatoes. Mixed with a lemony vinaigrette, this salad was a great side dish for Herb Encrusted Grilled Salmon. And when I can have an easy meal that includes hearts of palm, asparagus, and grilled salmon, I'm a happy camper.

I am still not 100% up to par after being so sick, but I didn't want to miss posting something for Meatless Monday again this week, so I was glad this vegan salad turned out so well. (You can find more meatless recipes by using the label Meatless Monday or checking Vegetarian Recipes in the recipe index, and I'm also doing a meatless slow cooker recipe each Monday on Slow Cooker from Scratch. For more Meatless Monday ideas from other bloggers, check Meatless Monday at BlogHer, where I write a weekly post spotlighting one of the fabulous meatless recipe ideas I find around the web.)

Remove a few large pieces of hearts of palm from the jar and let them drain. (If you have a large jar from Costco, you can keep the rest in the fridge for a week or two, but keep the liquid in the jar.)

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil while you slice asparagus into diagonal 1 1/2 inch pieces until you have about 2 cups.

Cook the asparagus in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then drain immediately.

Whisk together the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and Dijon and then whisk in the olive oil a little at a time to make the dressing.

Then mix a few tablespoons of the dressing with the warm asparagus and let it sit while you prep the other ingredients.

Slice the hearts of palm into 1/2 inch slices. Break the slices apart into rings or cut them in half if they don't separate.

Slice cherry tomatoes in half until you have a cup of sliced tomatoes.

Wash the chives and then slice or snip into short pieces. (Why did I take a photo of the chives that were still in long pieces? I have no idea.) You can use green onions if you don't have chives.

Gently mix the tomatoes and hearts of palm with the marinating asparagus, and add enough dressing to moisten the salad. (You might not need all the dressing.)

Then gently mix in a handful of chopped chives, season with salt and fresh ground black pepper, and serve.

Vegan Asparagus Salad for Spring with Tomatoes, Hearts of Palm, and Chives
(Makes 4 generous servings; recipe created by Kalyn when she was delighted to find Hearts of Palm at Costco again.)

Remove about 8 oz. hearts of palm from the jar and put them in a colander to drain. Bring a medium pot of salted water to boil, adding a generous amount of salt to the water (slightly less than a teaspoon.)

Snap one piece of asparagus to see where to trim off the woody ends, then trim other pieces to that same length. Cut asparagus on the diagonal into slices about 1 1/2 inches long. (You should have about 2 cups, or a little more.) When the water comes to a boil, add the asparagus and cook 2-3 minutes (no longer; use a timer!) Drain asparagus into a colander.

Mix together the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and Dijon, and then whisk in the olive oil a little at a time to make the dressing. When the asparagus has drained put it in a bowl large enough to hold all the salad and add about 2 tablespoons of the dressing. Stir to coat the asparagus and let it marinate while you prep other ingredients.

Slice the hearts of palm into 1/2 inch thick slices; then break the slices into rings or cut them in half if they don't separate easily. Cut cherry tomatoes in half and slice the chives (or green onions.)

Gently mix the hearts of palm and tomatoes in with the marinating asparagus and add enough dressing to moisten all the ingredients. (You may not need all the dressing.) Gently mix in the chives, season salad to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper, and serve. (Remember that the asparagus was cooked in salted water, so this salad will not need too much salt.)

I recommend only making as much of this as you can eat at one meal, because it did not keep that well in the refrigerator.

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I can't wait for asparagus season! Here in Rhode Island, it starts in the early part of May, so I'm saving asparagus recipes now to try in a few weeks. This salad goes right to the top of the list, as does a pilgrimage to the nearest Costco.

Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but I've never eaten 'hearts of palm.' You have introduced me to many new foods and combinations of food over the last few years. I will now add another "must try" food to my list!

Delicious! I made this for dinner, and had it the next day for lunch. It kept fine, although the asparagus got a bit softer than I would prefer from sitting in the dressing. Not really any different from any other salad leftovers though.

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